Page 18 of Curvy Hostage Mate (Gold Wolves Black Ops #4)

“What about Chris?” I asked. “Is he…” I trailed off, not fully aware of what I was trying to ask.

Even if I didn’t, Kendra seemed to understand. She gave a small nod. “He’s a good guy,” she said. “A bit intense at times, but most male shifters are. Impulsive, that you are here in the first place, is a testament to that. He and Will are good friends.”

I nodded, waiting to see if she was going to add anything else to the revelation. With a smile, she put her hand on my shoulder.

“He’ll be there for you. And if he isn’t…” She grinned, showing sharp teeth. “I’ll make sure he’s very, very sorry about that.”

***

“Thank you,” I said after we had gotten back to the cabin several hours later.

“I should have done it a long time ago,” Chris muttered. “I’m sorry I didn’t. But we can try and make sure you see her more frequently.”

“How much does she know about Cain?”

“I don’t know,” Chris said. “I think Will’s been keeping her pretty up-to-date. I’m not sure if he told her about his visit or—” he cut himself off, his jaw tightening. He glanced at me with unease as I stared at him, my jaw opening slightly.

“He… visited?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even. At the moment, I couldn’t tell if I was terrified or furious.

“Don’t worry about…” he trailed off as he saw my expression. “Fuck.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then his shoulders slumped in frustration. Folding his arms, he turned and faced me fully.

“Cain came to Falcon’s Reach a few days ago,” he said.

“He found out about Trent and Nolan. He demanded we hand you over, or he’d kill them.

Declan and I both told him no, and to get lost. Before you feel guilty, Trent and Nolan are more than able to handle themselves.

His threatening them is like threatening two weasels.

They’ll slink out eventually. Trent especially is good at getting out of tight spots, and Nolan’s the king of trickery. ”

That should have put me at ease. Instead, Chris’s expression only intensified my suspicions. With a deep frown, I folded my arms and stared up at him, waiting, my foot actually tapping.

“That’s all,” he said.

“You’re lying,” I fired back. “I’m not an idiot.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he argued.

“Bull. Shit,” I snapped, genuine rage beginning to bubble inside me as I glared at him. “Tell me the truth. What the hell happened?”

Chris closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. “He made some other threats, too,” he finally admitted, and my stomach sank. “But we think they’re bluffs. They’re too outlandish to take seriously, so you don’t need to worry about them.”

“Stop handling me with kid gloves and tell me what the hell is going on,” I snapped, almost surprising myself with the vitriol. “I’m tired of you lying to me and keeping me in the dark. Just tell me what he said.”

His lips pursed as his jaw worked tirelessly, eyes darting toward me, then away as he continued to deliberate. After a long moment, he relented.

“He threatened the other slaves,” he finally said. “He said he had no issue killing them all and starting over from scratch. It’s complete bullshit. He would never do something like that, if only because of how much money he’d lose out on.”

I barely heard him after the first bit. My mind was spinning, a dull ringing in my ears growing louder and louder as the words continued to sink in.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded. “I deserved to know.”

“I was trying to protect you,” he said mulishly. “I didn’t want you to worry or do something stupid.”

“You didn’t protect me from anything,” I spat. Literal sparks of flame flickered at my fingertips, my magic crackling all around me from sheer rage. “You kept it from me to keep controlling me. All you did was limit my autonomy.”

“That’s not fair—”

“It’s the truth,” I cut him off. “You didn’t want me trying to do something you disagreed with. So instead of talking to me about it and making a decision together, you came to one for me, and didn’t even bother to let me know.”

“I knew you would want to sacrifice yourself,” he said.

“I know a lot of the girls there,” I said. “They’re all going to die because of me. Of course, I would want to mitigate that.”

“And that’s why I didn’t tell you,” he said. “He was bluffing. You would have walked into a trap for nothing.”

My mind went back to the throne room, and then to what felt like a lifetime ago, when Cain had murdered a client for not being able to pay. How he had said he needed to back up threats, or no one would take him seriously.

“It’s not a bluff,” I said. “Trust me. I know Cain better than you do. If he says he’s going to kill them all if you don’t hand me over, then that’s exactly what he’s going to do.”

Chris’s jaw tightened as he stared down at me. “You don’t—”

“Don’t say I don’t know that,” I snapped. “You’re not the one he dragged around all over the place by a chain. You haven’t seen the things he’s capable of. Trust me when I say that I know better than anyone what Cain will and won’t do.”

“Okay. I won’t. If it’s going to be that dangerous, then we can figure something out. We won’t let him kill anyone else.”

But Chris couldn’t make that promise. Declan couldn’t, either. There was only one way to keep Cain at bay, and it was me.

I stood again, folding my arms as I stared up at him. “Take me to Declan.”

“Why?” Chris demanded.

“Because I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines,” I said. “I want to help. And I can’t do that locked up in here.”

He was already shaking his head. “Absolutely not,” he snarled. “It’s way too dangerous.”

I folded my arms, jutting out my chin as I glared at him, all my frustration and rage beginning to swell. I had put up with so much when it came to Chris, but this was the final straw. But he was still shaking his head.

“You want to hand yourself over.” He stalked over to me, looming over me as he approached. “I’m not going to let you do something that stupid.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to hand myself over,” I said. “But I’m the best resource you have. You need me, and we all know it.”

“As what? Bait?”

The thought chilled me to my core. But I jutted out my chin and stared up at him with defiance.

“If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it,” I said.

He gave a derisive scoff as he rolled his eyes.

That sound, that gesture, rankled me almost as much as the fact that he had kept this from me for all this time.

I couldn’t stand it when people patronized me.

Not long ago, he told me how strong he thought I was.

I guessed something had changed in the last week or so, because he had switched from that to assuming I was completely incompetent.

“You’re being ridiculous,” he scoffed.

My eyes burned. “And you’re being an asshole. You can’t keep things from me, especially if they’re going to impact me. I’m going to help, whether you like it or not.”

He let out a low, threatening growl and took several steps toward me. “I’m not letting you put yourself or the baby in danger. You’re being ridiculous,” he repeated.

“I’m being ridiculous for wanting to help people?” I asked.

“You’re being ridiculous. You’d be putting yourself in danger for no reason. And you’re sure as hell not doing it now,” he said. “Not with a baby.”

I gritted my teeth. Here he was, controlling my life again. Just like every other man I’d encountered in the last few years. I had hoped he might be different.

I glowered up at him. “You can’t keep me here forever.”

“I’m not,” he argued. “Just until Cain is six feet under.”

I gave a harsh, bitter laugh that grated on even my own ears. Chris gave me a surprised, borderline unnerved look, as if he hadn’t thought I had that sort of backbone in me.

“And how long is that going to take?” I snapped, coming to stand right in front of him. “Because you haven’t exactly been doing a great job taking care of him so far, have you?”

His eyes darkened, and I saw a twitch in his jaw as he bit back some comment. “Even if you don’t plan on handing yourself over, what happens if he catches you? What do you think he’ll do when he finds out you’re pregnant?”

“He won’t hurt me,” I said. Not physically, at least , I thought to myself. “As for the baby, I’m sure I can strike a deal with him that will keep them safe.”

“That’s a lot of supposition,” Chris growled. “I’m not going to let you go and run headfirst into danger. You’re staying here, even if I have to make you.”

It was those final two words that broke that last little bit of restraint. I snapped.

“God, you’re no better than Cain,” I fired back. “You kidnapped me and are holding me hostage. You say that I’m free, but how? You didn’t even let me see my sister without supervision. That’s not free. I’m as trapped as I was when I had a fucking collar around my neck.”

His eyes narrowed, his expression darkening as he stared down at me. I glared back, sensing his anger but refusing to back down.

“You’re staying here, and that’s final,” he snarled.

“I’d like to see you make me,” I hissed back, no longer bothering to hide my anger. I was tired of his arrogance, that obnoxious confidence that he knew best.

He leaned forward, his face inches from mine. “Watch me,” he growled.

He straightened and spun around. He marched out, slamming the door shut behind him. I could hear the lock slide as he trapped me inside.